Search for 'ami' returned 310 results.

Namco and Bandai have merged their companies, and the resulting reorganization has given birth to Namco Networks, a new company dedicated to mobile gaming. GF! got the chance to speak with Scott Rubin, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Namco Networks in North America. Rubin knows the ins and outs of mobile gaming and discussed a lot of topics, ranging from the challenges involved in developing games for mobile phones to the possibility of Katamari Damacy making an appearance on a handset near you. Get the full interview here.

Ever since the fan-created make of King\'s Quest IX was saved from the falling axe, some of us here at GamesFirst have been craving the days when adventure games ruled the PC. Sierra Online Entertainment was one of the biggest boys around, and games like Space Quest, King\'s Quest, and The Dagger of Amon Ra ruled the land. But how do these games stack up now? Thanks to a company that ports EGA classics into free, download-able VGA environments, you can find out for yourself. Surf over to AGDinteractive.com. If you\'ve never heard of them before, you\'ll be glad we pointed you in their direction.

The state of West Virginia has partnered with game publisher Konami to bring Dance Dance Revolution into hundreds of school physical education programs. The deal will roll out over 700 Dance Dance Revolution arcade machines, beginning with the state\'s 103 middle/junior high schools. The officials are doing the right thing, but they\'re citing the wrong reasons. DDR is not a way to combat the sedentary lifestyle of the youth, it\'s a way to create a modernized physical education curriculum that does what it should: engages students in realistic physical activity. Shawn steps up to the soapbox in this editorial.

SmackDown Vs. RAW 2006 on the PSP is almost identical to its PS2 counterpart: The graphics are quite nice, the control remains enjoyable, and the full depth of play is retained. Including loads of wrestlers, some great WiFi multiplayer, and a management mode that adds a whole new layer to the wrestling game, SmackDown Vs. RAW 2006 is a must-play for portable-gaming wrestling fans. Get the full review from Matt James right here.

Unreal Tournament 2007 serves two purposes: It continues the tradition of cyber-athletic quality FPS gaming, and it showcases the amazingly beautiful Unreal 3 engine,in development now from Epic Games. Evolutionary is the word for UT 2007: The graphics are better, the vehicles are bigger, and the online multiplayer is even more insane. Check out this quick preview and these amazingly beautiful screenshots for more.

The Slamdance Guerilla Gamemaker Competition naturally turned a lot of heads at Games First! GF! editors are excited about anything involving the words \"indy\" and \"gaming,\" and the Guerilla Gamemaker Competition doesn\'t disappoint. Check out Sean\'s in-depth coverage and see the future of indy gaming now. And follow the links in the article to sites where you can download and play most of these games for free!

The Shadow Hearts RPG series returns with its third installment, From The New World. Join Johnny Garland and his crew as they set out to solve the mystery of his family and past, all while mastering skills and battling monsters. All of this takes place in a funky anime version of New York in the 1920s, giving it total niche cred. This one is sure to become a cult fave and maintains the quality of the Shadow Hearts series. Check out Amanda\'s preview here.

EA has announced that they will bring their fantasy strategy title, The Battle for Middle Earth 2 to Xbox 360. The Battle for Middle Earth 2 comes out for PC in February, building on the success of the original. The Xbox 360 version will see a revamp to suit the console controller and will feature Xbox Live multiplayer, bringing serious strategy gaming to the home console for the first time. (No, we\'re not going to count Starcraft for N64 as a legitimate effort.)

As reported by GameDaily Biz, NPD Funworld calculates the videogame industry\'s take last year at around $10.5 billion. It looks like games have reached a major milestone, and that is thanks to some (possibly) surprising trends in 2005: portable gaming and female gamers. Sure, the Xbox 360 launch was a major boost to the industry in Q4, but the success of the industry in a highly transitional year (new console launches are never great for software sales) is attributed to handheld gaming and female gamers. Get more on this story right here.

The A-Z of Cool Computer Games is a robust survey of computer games and gaming history centered on the British gaming experience. As such, this book focuses on, mainly, European and British computers, games, consoles and arcade machines that were popular in the UK in the late 20th Century. For folks who fondly remember their old Speccy this is a trip down memory lane. For those of us across the pond, it\'s a peek into a wonderful bizarro-land of gaming: An alternate dimension of interactive entertainment that often intersects with our own gaming heritage.

This week in the Wrap-Up, Val Townsend, the Atomic Goddess, takes gamers on an audio adventure through the recent history of video gaming. In addition to a summary of recent news, Val has reviews of Kameo: Elements of Power (XB360), Cuban Missile Crisis: The Aftermath (PC), and those cute little GelTabz (multi). Rounding out this week\'s podcast is a preview of Square/Enix\'s Code Age Project, which spans games on mobile phones, PS2, and a comic book series. Serve yourself up a heaping helping of steaming hot podcast goodness, right here.

Beta signups are now open for the upcoming sci-fi MMORPG, Seed. Seed puts you in the role of a colonist settling the tense, perilous planet Da Vinci. A unique cel-shaded visual approach gives Seed the feeling of a graphic novel, and all of the in-game information is designed to uphold this comic book feel: Speech is shown in dialogue bubbles, and the screen is broken into panels. Gameplay is unique, too, focusing on character development and dynamically generated stories that are created for each individual player according to their style. Check out the Seed beta signups in order to get the early bird special this February.

This week in the Wrap-Up, Val checks out the biggest gaming news of the last couple weeks, catching us up on any news we missed while we were stuffing our gullets on stuffing and gullets. She also checks out reviews of PoPoLoCrois for PSP, Kosumi for PC, and Call of Duty 2 for Xbox 360 and PC. After all that, she serves up a tasty preview of Chromehounds, coming soon to Xbox 360 from the makers of the legendary Armored Core series. Get the latest podcasty goodness from your pals at GF!

Philips has a crazy idea: Put a 30\" touch sensitive LCD monitor into a sturdy wooden table, make some digital-smarty pawns and dice, and let game developers go crazy on a hybrid digital and real-world based console platform. But it\'s more than a crazy idea: It\'s the Entertaible, and it\'s being shown off at the Consumer Electronics Show 2006. The Entertaible is set to redefine board games and brings us multiplayer touch-oriented gaming. If touching is good by yourself, it must be even better in a group. Get the details on the Philips Entertaible in our preview.

Crave has delivered a really great pinball collection to the PSP. Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection features over a dozen classic Gottlieb pinball tables and arcade miscellany, all simulated in loving detail. This is a portable gaming pinball fan\'s dream come true, and it even allows you to serve out pinball games wirelessly to other PSPs. That means wireless multiplayer for all from a single UMD. If you like the pinball action, check this one out.